Protopolybia lidiae Santos & Silveira

Dos Santos Junior, José N. A., Silveira, Orlando T. & Carpenter, James M., 2017, A new species of the genus Protopolybia Ducke, 1905 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae), with taxonomic contributions to the exigua species-group, Zootaxa 4286 (3), pp. 432-438 : 433-434

Protopolybia lidiae Santos & Silveira , sp. nov. ( Figs 1–4 )

Diagnosis. Clypeus very high and narrow (HClp/MiWClp= 1.13), with ventral margin narrowly subtruncate and produced ventrally ( Fig. 1 ); occipital carina not reaching mandible insertion, extending approximately for three fourths of height of gena ( Fig. 2 ), ground color black with few marks, yellow ( Fig. 4 ).

Description. FEMALE. Length of fore wing 4.40 mm; clypeus narrow (HClp= 0.53; MxWClp= 0.58; TeW= 0.44; MiWClp = 0.47mm), ventral margin narrowly subtruncate and produced ventrally ( Fig. 1 ); tentorial pit closer to antennal socket than to eye margin; interantennal area narrow, approximately equal to diameter of antennal socket; mandible relatively short, with length 0.66 × times distance between eye at vertex; occipital carina little developed, extending for approximately three fourths of height of gena ( Fig. 2 ); pronotal carina obtuse, preceded by short linear prominence; mesoscutum as long as wide; mesepisternal groove absent; scrobal groove abbreviated; scutellum with median line; metanotum triangular and short, with length 0.72 × width of central disk; metanotal lobe with apex narrowly rounded ( Fig. 3 ); propodeum gently convex around narrow median groove; T1 posteriorly triangular, with petiole 1.38 × longer than wide; T1 notably narrower than T2.

Frons, mesoscutum and mesopleuron finely reticulated; scutellum and metanotum with weak punctures anteriorly; metasomal segments reticulated; ventral margin of clypeus with elongate golden bristles; eye glabrous; body almost completely covered with short bristles, except propodeum and anterior portion of T1 with long and sparse bristles. Black, with few yellow spots ( Fig. 4 ); antennomeres black dorsally and brown ventrally; mandible brown; clypeus with yellow V-shaped mark, inner and outer orbit with mark that not touching vertex and occiput, interantennal area with two small spots, pronotum with marks on pronotal carina and anterior prominence of fovea, mesopleural mark, two metapleural marks, scutellum partially, dorsal paired spots on propodeum, posterior bands on T1–T2 ( Figs 3, 4 ), yellow; metanotum with two small yellow spots or black; vertex and mesoscutum black; T3–T5 black. Coxae, femora, tibiae and tarsi black; wings hyaline, venation brown.

MALE. Unknown.

NEST. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype, ♀, BRAZIL, Pará, Altamira, Serra do Pardo , 05°52'N 52°48'W, 28.iv.2012 (S.S. Silva) ( MPEG) ; paratypes: 33 ♀ (same data as holotype). Other material. BRAZIL: Pará, Novo Progresso, Área 2 Fazenda , 1 ♀, 20.xi.2005 (J. Dias), 1 ♀, 22.xi.2005, 1 ♀, 26.xi.2005 ( MPEG) .

Distribution. Brazil (Pará).

Remarks. Protopolybia lidiae sp. nov. belongs to the P. exigua species-group ( Santos-Junior et al. 2015), with morphology and color pattern resembling those of P. similis , P. diligens and P. minutissima . However, P. lidiae differs from P. similis in the shape of its propodeum (gently convex around a narrow median groove) and its occipital carina, which does not reach the mandible insertion ( Figs 2 , 5 ). Protopolybia lidiae can also be confused with a variant of P. diligens , and although its clypeus is equally narrow ( Figs 1 , 6 ), the apex is different, being produced ventrally. Moreover, the metanotal process is wider with the apex more acute ( Figs 3 , 7 ), and it has no basal band on T2. The similarity between P. lidiae and P. minutissima is mainly in their color pattern and narrowing of the clypeus; however, P. lidiae is clearly differentiated by the shape of its occipital carina, which does not reach the mandible insertion, but extends to about ¾ of the height of the gena ( Figs 2 , 8 ).

Etymology. The specific name is in honor grandmother of first author (J.N. Santos), called Lídia.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Protopolybia lidiae, sp. nov. 1. Head, frontal view; 2. Head, lateral view; 3. Scutellum, metanotum and propodeum, dorsal view; 4. Holotype specimen, lateral view. clp, clypeus; mp, metanotal process; gm, genal margin.

FIGURES 5 – 8. 5. Protopolybia similis, head, lateral view; 6. P. diligens, head on frontal view; 7. P. diligens, scutellum, metanotum and propodeum on dorsal view; 8. P. minutissima, head on lateral view. gm, genal margin; clp, clypeus; mp, metanotal process.